Garfield and Copley will square off against each other Friday night but the game will be at Green. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Copley at 7 p.m. Copley athletic director Dana Addis sent out an email regarding the change Tuesday afternoon. My guess is the new articifial surface that is beibng installed at Copley isn't quite done yet.

Canton's Fawcett Stadium will be the site for a football quadruple-header Saturday in the fourth annual ``Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series.'' In the final game of the evening at 8 p.m., Massillon (1-0) will take on the Jordan (Utah) Beetdiggers (what a GREAT nickname!) Herbstreit is a former Ohio State quarterback and currently is an ESPN college football analyst.

Canton McKinley also will play in the Herbstreit event. The Bulldogs (0-1) will face Indianapolis Cathedral at 2 p.m. The Fighting Irish won the Class 4A state championship last year.

Northwest held off a tough Orrville team 34-13 Friday night at Smilek Stadium. The Indians, behind the running of Dan Beers, scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away on a hot muggy night.

Despite the 21-point win, the game was extremely close for most of the night with the weather playing a tremendous factor. Both teams lost plenty of players to heat cramping.

Buchtel head coach Ricky Powers has seen it all in his days as a former all-state running back at Buchtel, an all-Big Ten performer at Michigan and a former NFL player.

But in the Griffins' 45-29 loss at Massillon Friday, Powers said he witnessed something he had never seen in person. His senior quarterback and starting defensive back Tahj Dent returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown. The third-quarter score cut Massillon's lead to 17-15.

* MORGAN'S MVP: Revere junior running back John Battaglia earned the game ball. He's about 5-9, 175 pounds but he runs much bigger. Against Firestone, Battaglia rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. That's right...39 carries!!!!

I decided to look at the boxscores that we received and printed in Saturday morning's paper (there were 28 boxscores, 56 teams in the edition I received at home) and wanted to see how Battaglia's individual rushing carries stacked up with some of the team's total rushes. Well, if I counted correctly, Battaglia outrushed 39 other teams. He tied with St. Thomas Aquinas and Walsh Jesuit.

* OTHER MVP CANDIDATES: I have to say that the entire Revere defense earned special consideration. This group, led by Dan Steinkerchner, Dave Flegal, Donald Day, Claudio Manera, Tim Bihun and Mike Monte, never let Firestone put together any type of sustainable drives and didn't give up the big plays. Also, Revere coach Terry Cistone raved about the way fullback Andrew Anacki sacrificed his body blocking for Battaglia.

My observations from Archbishop Hoban's 27-26 overtime win against Garfield in the season-opener for both teams:

* MORGAN'S MVP: No question, my pick is 5-foot-9, 175-pound Garfield junior running back Tyson Gulley. He rushed for a game-high 225 yards on 25 carries. Gulley rushed for over 130 yards- just in the first quarter, with touchdown runs of 60 and 58 yards.

The Beacon Journal's ‘‘Power Poll’’ ranks teams based on expectations for the 2008 season within their OHSAA division relative to other area teams. It is not a predictor of head-to-head strength. Here are the first rankings with division and 2007 record.1. Walsh Jesuit (III, 9-2)Quarterback Kyle Snyder and running backs Cameron Ontko and Armand Dehaney give the Warriors plenty of offensive firepower. Big Ten recruits Pat McShane (Indiana) and Brian Smith (Northwestern) will anchor the lines. If the Warriors' defense holds up, this could be a big season on Wyoga Lake Road.2. Louisville (II, 12-3)Quarterback Neal Seaman and receiver-defensive back Brandon Mathie are back for a Leopards team that was the 2007 Division II state runner-up.3. Northwest (III, 12-1)The Division III poll champion has some holes to fill, but lineman Nate Klatt (Michigan State) and running back Danny Beers head an impressive list of returnees.4. St. Vincent-St. Mary (IV, 9-3)Coach Dan Boarman's second Irish team, which will be led by receiver Todd Culver and linebacker Harvie Tuck IV, is primed for another season to remember for the Green Street faithful.5. Massillon (I, 4-6)Jason Hall is seeking to make an impressive debut as the Tigers' head coach, just as he did in 2007 with an inexperienced Nordonia team. Running back J.T. Turner and linebacker Matt Rose are the leaders6. Highland (III, 6-4)The Hornets' fans have been waiting for this senior class to arrive, and that time is now. Back Chris Snook and linebacker Tyler Houska anchor strong offensive and defensive units.7. Nordonia (I, 10-2)The Knights, one of the surprise teams in the area last season, will sneak up on no one this season. Tailback John Hamilton and linebacker Luke Batton are potent offensive and defensive leaders.8. Aurora (III, 9-2)Lineman Adam Bellamy, an Ohio State recruit, and defensive back-wide receiver Dee Brizzolara will lead the Greenmen's quest for a fourth consecutive appearance in the state playoffs.9. Wadsworth (I, 9-2)Dru Jones, the leading all-time rusher in Medina County history, is gone, but the Grizzlies have a deep and talented junior class ready to fill the void.10. Brunswick (I, 13-1)Ricky Manco, who takes over at quarterback for Beacon Journal player of the year Sean Bedevelsky, leads a solid Blue Devils team looking for a seventh consecutive trip to the state playoffs.11. Tallmadge (II, 10-2)The Blue Devils' attempt to win another Suburban League championship will rest on a core of seniors led by tailback Tyler Fortner and linebacker Nick Thompson.12. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (IV, 9-2) Running back John Pettigrew, who just missed rushing for 2,000 yards in 2007, returns for a Royals team trying for a fourth consecutive trip to the state playoffs.13. Firestone (II, 7-4)Coach Tim Flossie has quickly rebuilt the Falcons and has them poised to follow up the first playoff season in school history with another one.14. Archbishop Hoban (II, 3-7)The Knights' defense will be strong, and quarterback Josh Masters and tight end Brian Slack are back to lead a potentially strong offense.15. Garfield (I, 7-3) The Rams will contend for honors in the City Series behind a core group of seniors led by running back-safety Tyson Gulley.16. Ravenna (III, 8-3)The Ravens, who will be led by running back Blayre Davis, will be seeking their second consecutive appearance in the state playoffs.17. GlenOak (I, 6-5)The Golden Eagles, who qualified for the state playoffs for the fourth time in school history last season, return eight starters on defense, led by lineman Aaron Williams.18. Waynedale (V, 9-3)Optimism is high among the Golden Bears' faithful that tailback Thad Nofsinger and his teammates will have a long run in the state playoffs.19. Mogadore (VI, 10-2)The Wildcats always seem to face heavy graduation losses and then find able replacements. A 22nd appearance in the state playoffs is likely.20. Orrville (IV, 6-4)The Red Riders, who missed the state playoffs by one spot in 2007, have plenty of offensive talent back, led by quarterback Joe Besancon and running back Josh Graber.Others to watch: Alliance, Buckeye, Canton Central Catholic, Canton McKinley, Canton South, Cloverleaf, Ellet, Garrettsville, Green, Hudson, Jackson, Kent Roosevelt, Lake, Manchester, North Canton Hoover, Northwestern, Norwayne, Perry, Revere, Stow, Streetsboro, Tuslaw, Twinsburg.

American swimmer Mark Gangloff won his second career gold medal Sunday following the 400-meter medley relay in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Gangloff, a 2000 Firestone High School graduate and former Stow resident, swam in a 400-meter medley relay prelim and thus was eligible for the medal even though he did not swim in the final. He placed eighth in the 100-meter breast stroke earlier in the 2008 Olympics.

Slack, a 6-foot-5 and 230-pound athlete who played tight end and defensive end for the Knights, was a Division II All-Ohio Special Mention this past fall. He also earned first-team honors in the Northeast Inland district and in the North Coast League.

One could definitely make an argument that the Colts are one of the smarter teams in the conference. Senior Linebacker Kyle Juszczyk (31) and wide receiver Keegan Conry (32) both scored over 30 on their ACT test.

Juszczyk is a legitimate Division I prospect who is being pursued heavily by the Ivy League schools. Harvard Princeton and Penn have all inquired about the six-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker with some already scheduling official visits. Mid-American Conference schools have also shown interest.

The battle for Kentucky’s starting quarterback just got a lot easier for former Canton Glen Oak stand out Mike Hartline. The red shirt sophomore was thrust into the starting position after teammate Curtis Pulley was dismissed from the team earlier this week.

Once again, the City Series hosted its annual football media day, with lunch sponsored by the Akron Education Association, and for the second-straight year the event was entertaining mainly because it's the second year that the league is somewhat wide open.

Last year, Firestone won the City championship, led by head coach Tim Flossie, and the Falcons are conisdered one of the favorites again this year, along with Garfield. Joe Howard, the program director for Akron Public Schools athletics said it best: ``In the past, you could pretty much figure out who was going to win a game in the City in just the first few minutes. But last year was different. There were several games where you didn't know who was going to win until the last few minutes"